Boise man sentenced to two years in federal prison for possessing homemade bombs
A Boise man was sentenced to two years in federal prison after authorities found seven homemade bombs in his possession, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho announced Friday.
The man, 69-year-old Jonathan VanCuren, pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 18, 2025. After his prison sentence, he will also spend two years under supervised release.
According to court documents, law enforcement searched VanCuren’s home in February 2024, where they found seven “Improvised Explosive Devices” in boxes that belonged to him.
Authorities said each device contained an explosive main charge, main charge container and initiation system, and all seven devices were assembled and in operating condition.
The Boise Police Department, Boise Police Bomb Squad and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in the investigation.
In the release, Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls with the Salt Lake City FBI said manufacturing explosives inside a home is illegal and highly dangerous.
“With one careless mistake, Vancuren’s blatant disregard for the law and public safety could have ended in catastrophe,” Bohls said. “The FBI and our state and local partners, who brought us into this investigation, will not tolerate those who threaten our community’s safety.”
